HEALTH GROUPS STRANGELY OPPOSE EFFECTIVE AND PROVEN SMOKING CESSATION PRODUCTS

TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Public health groups across the country have found a new enemy in their war on nicotine: smoking cessation products. These so-called health groups are pushing to make life saving products harder to buy and less appealing than cigarettes.

"These are organizations whose goal is the health and well-being of Canadians. They have lost their way. Shouldn't they be making sure that smoking cessation products are available to adults who smoke and easy for them to purchase?" said Maria Papaioannoy, spokesperson for Rights4Vapers. "We fought to keep vaping accessible. We will fight for all kinds of effective smoking cessation products."

In a costly full-page ad, the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Lung Association, Physicians for a Smokefree Canada, Action on Smoking and Health, Heart and Stroke, and the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control are calling on the federal government to ban all flavours in smoking cessation products and make them prescription only.

History has shown us that prohibition does not work.

"Look what has happened in Quebec. The provincial government banned flavoured vaping products only for it to be replaced by black market, unregulated, untaxed vapes in every flavour you can imagine," said Valerie Gallant, spokesperson for the Coalition des droit des vapoteurs du Québec. "Flavours are not the problem. Lack of enforcement, inaccurate information and misleading communications are."

Flavours have become one of the most controversial areas of the nicotine debate. The role of flavours in vaping and quit smoking products is complex. Adults who smoke say that flavours give them a reason to switch from the traditional cigarette. Having less-harmful alternatives that does not taste like tobacco is critical for smokers to initially make the switch and stick with it. 

The Minister of Health's previous work in tobacco control should make him sensitive to the needs of Canadians who smoke, and he should be the first person in line to recognize the potential of these products to stop smoking.

His own tobacco control strategy states: "We are committed to working with the provinces and territories to significantly revamp smoking cessation services across the country, to make it easier, faster and more appealing for smokers to access the support and tools they need in a way that best works for them."

"Minister Holland, we have the same objective: to help people who smoke quit. I was one of them. I don't smoke anymore thanks to vaping. Let's give all Canadians who smoke the same chance," said Ms. Papaioannoy.

SOURCE Rights 4 Vapers